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What is Call Routing Software?
From a high overview, call routing software captures and tracks call data, while also automatically gathering all eligible call recipients. Best Call Routing Software The correct recipient that a call will route to is based on custom queues or filters that the software has. Call routing is similar, but different from call tracking because call routing determines the recipients while tracking doesn’t.
The Evolution of Call Routing:
Since their rise in the 1980s, ACD systems have housed call routing technology. At the time, the system would route the longest waiting customer to the longest waiting agent. At the time, this was quite the innovation, as before a switchboard operator would manually look up extension lines and connect the caller to whichever extension was available. Best Call Routing Software ACD systems are now much more advanced, enabling sophisticated call routing strategies, creating detailed contact center reports, and harnessing features to validate, prioritize, and block callers.
However, it is not only ACD systems that route callers. Nowadays, many contact centers utilize bots, which access customer data from across the enterprise, predict needs, and route accordingly.
5 Examples of Call Routing Strategies:
1. Skills-Based Call Routing:
Skill-based routing matches an incoming call to an agent with the required skill set. An excellent example of this is routing a caller that speaks Best Call Routing Software one language to an agent that speaks the same language. Yet, there are many other use cases, including routing a low-satisfaction customer to an advocate agent or routing a vulnerable customer to a specialist.
2. Priority-Based Call Routing:
Many companies still have priority programs, where they typically segment their highest value customers and route them through to Best Call Routing Software with shorter queues for a more satisfactory service experience. By doing so, companies aim to retain customers with the highest projected lifetime value.
3. Least-Occupied Routing:
Occupancy rates measure what percentage of time agents spend taking calls while logged in and present on the contact center floor. Many operations pass the next call onto the agent with the lowest occupancy rate to ensure the workload is evenly distributed. Best Call Routing Software Some will view this as the next evolution of idle routing, which passes the next customer through to the longest waiting agent.
5. Intrasite Routing:
A routing strategy may extend beyond the confines of one operation, potentially passing calls through to agents across the globe. Through such a tactic, contact centers can offer 24/7 customer service. For example, a call in the middle Best Call Routing Software of the night in the US may pass through to a UK contact center. There, it is already morning, and agents have started their shifts.
The Role of Call Routing Software in a Contact Centre:
- Improving Service Experiences – It often ensures that agents have the necessary skills to address a customer‘s issue, reducing call transfers and improving service experiences.
- Enhancing Agent Experience – It prevents agents from receiving calls that fail to align with their skill set.
- Cutting Costs – Routing calls to the most appropriate agent will likely lower handling times, which – in turn – will reduce the staffing requirement.
- Providing Useful Analytics Insights – Call routing software can connect with business intelligence dashboards and report generation tools to provide insights like peak period volumes.
- Generating More Value – It can drive cross-selling and up-selling by matching high-value customers with agents who can capitalize on the opportunity.
Call routing refers to funneling incoming business calls into a queue, then routing these to available agents, as outlined in predetermined criteria in the call routing software set up by administrators. The system providing this functionality is known as an ACD (Automatic Call Distributor). As a benefit, this process can streamline workflows and help reduce customer wait time, depending upon caller volume and the number of agents in a call center.
Selecting the best call routing software service:
Selecting the right service is important, as it provides the gateway introduction to your business. Anything that introduces friction and degrades efficiency should be deprioritized on your list.
- Easy setup: Call center managers to stay on the frontline, overseeing day-to-day activities. Having the ability to quickly update call routing criteria, based on real-time needs, could help alleviate customer wait times greatly.
- CRM integration: Having this functionality can provide a 360-degree view of your customers and agent funnels, helping ensure KPIs Best Call Routing Software are met and flagging issues. Simply asking customers to take a survey at the end of the call won’t suffice anymore.
- Conversational AI: No one likes to be ignored, and now through machine learning, customers can actively converse with AI chatbots Best Call Routing Software that sound convincingly human. This approach can also solve many issues without the need for a call center agent, which helps reduce your overall operating costs.
The benefits of call routing:
Call routing can bring a lot of benefits to your business phone system or call center. It can speed up waiting times and ensure that your Best Call Routing Software customer experiences a swift and successful resolution to their problems. It can also optimize your workflow operations, improving your agent’s productivity and efficiency.
How are calls routed in a call center?
1. Qualifying Phase:
In an inbound call center, the first step in the routing process is sending the call to an interactive voice response tool or IVR. Using IVR systems, you can determine the purpose of the caller through a series of automated questions and answers.
2. Call Queueing Phase:
The caller’s responses to the IVR will then be forwarded to the automatic call distributors (ACD) for queueing. The ACD can queue inbound calls based on query, skills, or waiting time. Priority will depend on the routing rules you establish.
3. Call Distribution Phase:
Once the calls are queued, the next step is to have the calls routed to your agents. As with the queueing process, the call distribution method is determined by your rules. For example, you can choose the talk-time distribution strategy, which routes callers to the agent who has worked the least, ultimately minimizing the idle time of your agents.
FAQs About Best Call Routing Software:
How much does a call routing software cost?
The cost of call routing software depends on your business requirements and call volume, you can check our detailed pricing here.
How does call center routing work?
Call routing is a feature of a phone system that’s based on a set of customized rules. In essence, it’s a feature that automatically places incoming calls into a queue and routes them to a specific sales or support representative or a group of people based on the rules and criteria that you’ve pre-set.
Why is call routing important?
Call routing prevents your team from being overwhelmed by the number of inbound calls received at once by balancing the workload between agents. That means your team can focus on productivity and customer support.
How does call routing work?
Different call centers have different methods of routing calls, but they all follow a similar process. Let’s look at the standard steps to get a better idea of how it all works.
What are the main elements of call routing?
Call routing is a call management feature for business phone systems where each incoming call is placed in a queue and is then routed to a specific person or group of people based on pre-established rules and criteria. Call routing occurs before someone on the receiving end picks up the call.
What is advanced call routing?
Advanced call routing is cloud-based, powered by AI, and capable of routing calls to multiple channels for self-service or live agent support. Advanced call routing helps you keep existing customers and attract new customers by improving the call queue experience.
How does call center software work?
Call center software automates the flow of incoming and outgoing calls. Interactive voice response (IVR) systems — a common feature of call center software — are used to create prerecorded greetings, menu options, and answers to frequently asked questions.
Why is there software for every work or function in a contact center?
Contact center software gathers customer data from every channel used and compiles it into a single customer profile. Because most contact center customers interact using multiple channels, the center collects more data.
What is a call management system?
A call management system is the combination of your routing processes, tools, and workflows that together, help your team handle your call volumes effectively.
Conclusion:
Best Call Routing Software is a call management process that automatically queues and distributes incoming calls based on a predefined set of rules and criteria. It is also sometimes referred to as an automatic call distribution (ACD) system.
